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tora dora 3 – your song

Inko-chan demonstrates the state of Ryuji’s brain when he thinks of Minori

So I’m not entirely sure what I find the most cute in this episode. Minori is just so chock full of boundless energy and enthusiasm its hard not to get swept up along with her. Ryuji is adorable, whenever he’s thinking of Minori or whenever he’s around her. And Taiga’s cuteness level seems to be proportional to how mad she can get when Ryuji can’t stop prattling on about his adoration of Minori.

This episode can pretty much be summed up from start to finish using the word cute. From the get go its simply adorable with Ryuji lecturing Taiga on how to do her laundry and Taiga getting irritated with Ryuji for telling her how to do her laundry.

Ah yes, what every girl wants to hear from a guy, I love your sweat?! Ryuji has it bad.

They stop mid-quarrel when they hear the sound of Minori singing off key as she participates in a baseball game. Her off key but enthusiastic singing is just one of the many things Ryuji loves about Minori, also included would be her killer smile and um her sweat…

Just… just look at them jiggle!

Ryuji is absolutely entranced as he watches Minori complete her run and Taiga is absolutely disgusted by the lovestruck display put forth by Ryujii since she’s decided he’s being perverted.

Taiga shows Ryuji her two fingered salute,/p>

In fact Taiga is so disgusted that Ryuji has to suffer the two fingered eye poke of doom! Unfortunately for Ryuji that won’t be the last time he gets to experience this particular punishment.

Minori and Yusuke notice that while Taiga and Ryuji might not be part of a club, they get plenty of exercise too while they fight 🙂

I saw boobies…

Back at school Ryuji finds out that Minori has a job as a mobile phone stylist, while he declines her offer, he’s in heaven just because she asked him if he wanted her to style his phone.

So, so CUTE!

This happy feeling stays with him all the way home and he chatters on and on about it while preparing dinner. I think its totally adorable as he revels in the fact she said his name. Taiga however is less than amused. Yasuko is working and therefore won’t need her share of dinner. But since Ryuji is off in la la land her pleas to have Yasuko’s share of dinner are falling upon deaf ears.

If you ever want to have kids, make sure you feed your Taiga!

Ryuji is far too wrapped up in his daydreaming about Minori to hear anything Taiga is mumbling about.
So Taiga finally makes sure her views on the matter are known via her foot! Though that won’t really help her get dinner since the rice cooker is broken.

“Don’t stare at her breasts… don’t stare at her breasts…

But a Taiga needs her food and so they head to a family restaurant. Ryuji doesn’t see why they had to go out since they could have still eaten dinner with bread, but Taiga has a very good reason for coming to this particular restaurant.

Panties… YAY!

Despite her disgust at his recent lovey dovey behaviour, Taiga is actually helping Ryuji out by bringing him to a restaurant Minori works at. In addition to the restaurant Ryuji finds out that Minori also holds down jobs in the convenience store, the karaoke store and the steamboat store.

Taiga – 2/ Ryuji – 0

Poor Ryuji suffers another two fingered assault as Taiga accuses him of drooling over Minori in her waitress outfit.
He says he was just thinking of how beautiful Minori looked when she smiled and then begs Taiga not to poke him in the eyes again when he sees her irritated expression.

But if I go blind I can’t stare at girls

You can’t really take his man card away from him for not wanting to get beat up. I mean anyone would be scared of Taiga when she gets going.

The eye of the Taiga!

She ends up stalking off calling him disgusting and Ryuji wants to know what is up with her cold attitude.
Taiga asks him if there was ever a time when she wasn’t cold to him and well of course he has to give her that point although it earns him another beating.

Here ya go Yasuko fans!

That’s what you get for peeking in the girls bathrooms

Though that doesn’t seem to depress Ryuji as he happily feeds Inko-chan asking him if he wants more, echoing Minori from the restaurant the night before. Taiga begins to regret ever telling him about the place since he dresses up nicely (or oddly in Taiga’s opinion) and heads for the family restaurant again.

It was a soft caress

On the way they meet one of Yasuko’s customers, Inage, who gropes Ryuji’s rear since he’s of the same D.N.A as the wonderful Yasuko. Poor Ryuji, molested by old men. Turns out Minori works for the guy and Taiga gets roped into helping, whilst Ryuji gets to kick back since the man adores him as he’s related to Yasuko.

I can put it where?

Turns out he has part time work going and Ryuji wanting to be near Minori offers up his help along with Taiga. Like before though Inage doesn’t really make Ryuji work, instead he sends Taiga off to do deliveries except she can’t ride a bike so she just runs off alongside it.

She ends up crashing her bike and Yusuke happens to come across her. During their chat he lets slip that he had kept his eye on her in the past.

Ryuji and Minori meanwhile get locked in a storage shed, they pass the time by singing which no-one hears and playing baseball. Ryuji notices Minori is shaking and thinks that maybe she might be scared.
She says its just from excitement and that there isn’t any need to be scared since she’ll blow away her weakness.

Its then that they notice a small window and they stack boxes to try and reach it. Some fall giving Minori a nosebleed, but in typical Minori fashion she doesn’t let it stop her. Just as Ryuji makes it to the top however he comes tumbling down. Taiga has found them and she isn’t happy as she comes barreling through the window towards Ryuji.

Ta Daaaa!

Minori is happy since Taiga used a ladder, the only problem being that in Taiga’s rush to get in the room she knocked it over, so now all three of them are trapped inside…

I absolutely enjoyed the hell out of this episode, not just for the usual fighting between Taiga and Ryuji but because Ryuji was so damned adorable throughout the episode. It was so cute every time he would blush or get happy over the tiniest of things where Minori was concerned. Minori herself is such a sweetheart and you can see why Taiga is so protective of her friend and why Ryuji is so enamored with her.

Really you could see either pairing for both Taiga and Ryuji working out. Taiga and Ryuji obviously make a great pair despite their constant bickering they understand each other well as they both feel like outcasts.

But Yusuke and Minori are awesome in of themselves. Minori is such a sweetheart and she and Ryuji would be adorable, she might even bring him out of himself a little bit. Although its obvious from the restaurant that she maybe thinks that Taiga and Ryuji like one another.

Similarly Yusuke seems very calm and understanding, he could be a great match for Taiga, they do say opposites attract and it seems like Taiga has caught his eye at least. He doesn’t really elaborate much and he is perceptive though. He’s a good friend of Ryuji, so perhaps while Taiga caught his eye, it was for the reason she made him think she might be a good match for Ryuji.

Then there is Taiga’s behaviour towards Ryuji to consider. While she still does seem to want to get together with Yusuke, she kept beating the crap out of Ryuji every time he got spacey or sappy over Minori.

She could simply be annoyed because she’s sick of hearing all the lovey dovey crap Ryuji is spouting. Or it could be that she is acting subconsciously out of jealousy. Time will tell I guess 🙂

@ usagijen, sometimes, sometimes my mind has a flash of brilliance. I’ll look out for that post of yours 🙂

@M12, Oh my really? How do you find anytime for a break with that level of craziness? Oh it was, I know on one level she was doing it because OMG her BFF is with a boy. But one wonders if subconsciously it was because that boy was Ryuji…